The inaugural Singapore Wine Pinnacle Awards gave a nod to top quality Chinese wines, of which Ningxia in northwestern China nabbed three nominations including two by the country’s leading family-owned boutique winery Silver Heights.
Founded by Bordeaux-trained Chinese winemaker Emma Gao in 2007, Silver Heights located at the foothills of Helan Mountain around 1,200 meters above sea level quickly became one of the new pioneers revolutionizing the country’s wine production.
Two of Silver Heights’ wines, namely 100% Cabernet Sauvignon Emma’s Reserve and The Summit, a blend of Cabernet and Merlot, were nominated for Best Chinese Red, along with Grace Vineyard’s Tsaya’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon in neighouring Shanxi province, LVMH’s ultra premium Chinese wine Ao Yun in Southwestern Yunnan province and Helan Qing Xue Jia Bei Lan in Ningxia.
Below are the full nominations:
- Ao Yun, Yunan, China
- Silver Heights, Emma’s Reserve, Ningxia, China
- Grace Vineyard, Tasya’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Shanxi, China
- Silver Heights, The Summit, Ningxia, China
- Helan Qing Xue, Jia Bei Lan Dry Red, Ningxia, China
Ao Yun, an ambitious high-altitude wine made by LVMH in Yunnan’s Shangri-la, emerged as the winner in the category, according to the results announced on October 10 in Singapore. The wine carries a hefty price tag of US$300 a bottle.
Different from other awards, the Pinnacle Awards is a nomination-based recognition of wines without restrictions on origin or need for submissions or entry fees.
The awards claims to be the first of its kind in the world, providing an independent platform that allows for greater inclusivity.
Out of the 27 categories, the Grand Jury award has crowned Domaine Coche-Dury as the recipient of this esteemed accolade. Celebrating the absolute best of this year’s showing, the Grand Jury award is specially judged and selected by the Wine Pinnacle Awards Committee from among the winners across all categories.
“As part of the Wine Pinnacle Awards Committee, it is an honour to be among such an impressive group of wine experts and professionals, bringing together a diverse group of winemakers and wines through our collective expertise and experience. It’s very heartening to uncover wines that are under-appreciated as well as highlighting the very best wines in the world to give them the recognition they deserve for their quality and merit,” comments Jeannie Cho Lee, Wine Pinnacle Awards Committee member and Master of Wine.
The Wine Pinnacle Awards Committee is comprised of five internationally reputable wine experts namely Jeannie Cho Lee of Hong Kong, Kenichi Ohashi of Japan, Doug Frost of the US, Oz Clarke of the UK and Andreas Larsson of Sweden.
